Lady Serpens: Daughter of Snake
by sam122435
Summary: Sarah Merope Kim, (also known as Serpens) the daughter of Lord Voldemort, wants nothing but to get away from her parents. When she finally does, she manages to find the life that she wanted; a normal life, friends, and family. She hoped that her peace would last long until... (A bit of Korean in it)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any world from Harry Potter or Sherlock(BBC). All rights belong to J.K Rowling, Warner Bros, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and BBC.

Author's note: Harry Potter and Sherlock timeline have been shifted so they would match up with the plot. There is going to be some character changes and original characters.

Timeline (Year of birth)

1900: Dumbledore; 1920: Juliet Kim, 1946: Voldemort, 1950: Bianca Black, Mrs Hudson 1955: John Kim

1970: Molly Prewett, Arthur Weasley; 1971: Bellatrix Black; 1976: Mycroft Holmes, Andromeda Black, Morris Rosier, Lucius Malfoy, 1977: Narcissa Black, Hannah Kim; 1979; Sirius Black, Petunia Evans, Hannah Kim

1980: Lily Evans, Severus Snape, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sarah Kim; 1981: Regulus Black, Sherlock Holmes, Howard Kim, Molly Hooper

OC

Juliet Kim (Kim Ji Seon, 김지선): born 6th December 1920, Korean, Taoist wizard, married Marius Black,

Bianca Elizabeth Black: born 18th March 1950, Daughter of Juliet and Marius,

John Kim(Kim Jun Soo, 김준수): 20th March 1955, Bianca's cousin, Doctor,

Sarah Merope Kim, Lady Serpens ( Bi Yeon 김비연): 13th April 1980, Bianca and Voldemort's daughter

Hannah Kim (Hwa Yeon 김화연): 23rd March 1979, John Kim's daughter and Sarah's cousin

Howard Kim (Yeon Woo 연우 ): 17th July 1981, Hanna's younger brother and Sarah's cousin

Horatio Morris Rosier:29th July 1971, Evan Rosier's brother,

Prologue

6 pm, London, July 1977

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Tom but I have to go to a meeting in thirty minutes," said Mistress Juliet Kim. Mistress Kim was a Korean Taoist witch. She had lots of white hair and wrinkles on her forehead which made her look older than her age. Her brown eyes stared at Tom trying to figure out more about him. Tom, who sat on the opposite side, was in his early twenties. He was tall even when he was sitting down. Tom had jet black hair and pale skin which made him look attractive. Even his sharp cold grey eyes made him look quite attractive yet dangerous.

"Is it already? It was a pleasure to meet you too. I hope we could meet again soon," said Tom as they headed for the doors. Mistress Kim opened the doors for him and replied sweetly, "Of course, we should meet again soon. I will call you when I am available. Until then, take care." After muttering thank you, Tom left the through the doors and disapparated.

After Tom left, Mistress Kim quickly shuts the doors behind her and sighed. Anyone who met Tom would agree with her that Tom seemed like a very nice guy. However, Mistress Kim knew that it was just an image. Mistress Kim did not have high trust in him, especially after she had talked to Dumbledore about him. Mistress Kim actually lied when she said she had a meeting to attend. She did this to stop her daughter, Bianca from meeting Tom. Tom would be a terrible influence to Bianca so she tried to keep them apart. She looked at where Tom had stood, one more time before thinking about what to cook for dinner.

Empty street, Knocturn Alley

As soon as Tom apparated to Knocturn Alley, his face turned sour and bitter. It was hard to put on a fake smile, it was even harder when you know she disagreed with your cause. He was only doing that so he could have a powerful witch on his side, but sometimes he wondered was it worth it. He decided to forget about it and walked a few miles before bumping into someone. When he looked up angrily, he found a woman who was in her late twenty. She seemed too busy to pick up her belongings to notice Tom. She had to be a witch as muggles could not get into Knocturn Alley. However, her clothes seemed very muggle like. Definitely, a muggle born. Disgusted by this, Tom spat, "Watch where you are going, mudblood." Then he shoved her roughly before trying to leave.

"It was you who was not looking properly and the last time I checked I was clearly not a muggle-born," she replied defensively. Tom glared back at the woman. Her clothes seemed like a typical muggle born clothes; a blue jean that looked ragged, a grey top and a pair of sunglasses on her head.

Tom scoffed at her and said, "Right, but your clothes shows that if you are not mudblood, you must be a blood traitor which is bad as a mudblood. Shove off." He was about to go when he heard the woman call.

"You are right. My clothes are muggle style but this is only because the people who call themselves, parents forced it on me," stated the woman. "My father is from the Black family but he is a squib and my mother, who is better known as Mistress Kim spends half her time with muggles. So does that answer your question?"

This had grabbed Tom's attention. He put on a fake smile and turned around to say, "When you said Mistress Kim, do you mean Juliet Black nee Kim?"

"Yes, of course. I mean who has the surname Kim and is called Mistress around here other than the **Great** Juliet Kim," stated the woman.

'Now that was Kim trying to hide,' thought Tom. She did look like her mother when he looked more closely. She had the same fierce look from her brown eyes and had short brown hair like her mother. Thinking it might not be a lost cause, after all, Tom talked to her gently, "I am sorry for the disrespect I displayed earlier. I just met your mother a while ago but I had no idea that she had a great daughter. Would you accept my apology for my rudeness."

She looked at Tom in surprise before replying, "It is alright. I was quite rude too. I accept your apology. You met my mother?" She thought for a while and said excitedly, "Oh, you must be the boy that my mother talked about." After seeing him smirk, she continued, "You seem nice, I wonder why my mother does not want me to meet you. It would be nice to talk to you more but I got to go. My mother is waiting. I hope I get to see you soon. See you later." She was about to leave when she turned back and said, "Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Bianca Black but I prefer Bianca Kim. I hate being related to that father of mine."

Tom smiled and said, "You also do not get along with your father, I see. I am Tom, Tom Marvolo Riddle but I prefer Voldemort. See you, Bianca."

"Voldemort," said Bianca as she mused, "Very nice name. Well, I hope we can meet often." She walked around the corner before disapparating to her house. Voldemort looked at the empty space and smirked to himself. Just a moment ago, he thought to have Kim on his side was an impossible task but now he could see some hope in achieving his plan. Tom walked in the opposite direction while thinking about how to use this situation to his benefit.

Juliet Kim's house, 4th July 1980, 10 am,

Mistress Kim's house was dangerously silent. Nobody spoke as they ate. Juliet and Bianca often glared at each other but they did not speak to each other. Marius broke the silence by saying, "Bianca, you should apologise to your mother." Binaca simply glared at her father in distaste and kept eating. Marius sighed and said to Juliet, "She would have lesson her lesson by now. Please, Jul." Juliet looked at Marius and sighed. She was about to open her mouth when Bianca stopped her spoon down.

"I will not ask for forgiveness nor do I want," said Bianca before glaring at her father. She growled, "You. I don't need your advice from a filth like you." Bianca removed her plates with her wands while ignoring her parents' shocked and outraged looks. Bianca stood up and said, "다 먹었어요 어머니, 가도 되나요? (I have finished eating mother, may I go now.)"

"Sit down," said Juliet after composing herself, "I am not finished with you." She sighed before scolding Bianca, "How dare you speak to your father that way. Apologise." After staring at each other for a few seconds, Bianca sat down only to make the matters worse.

"Fine! It seems you don't get my point. I am keeping this child and I am going to do this with Tom. Secondly, that person is not my father!" shouted Bianca. Juliet was lost for words. Since when had her child become so disrespectful like this?

Juliet held Bianca's hand and said, "You misunderstood us. We are not trying to force you to give the child up and we will help you raise the child. But not Tom. Tom is evil, pure evil and I cannot let you be with that man."

Bianca felt sickness when she looked at her mother's eyes. What did she know about Tom? How dare she call Tom evil? Bianca glared at Marius. It was all her father and that old muggle loving cot's fault. Not only had they corrupted her mother, but also they were trying to influence her child and her. She could not allow that to happen. Bianca challenged Juliet, "Evil! Dangerous! You have been listening to that old fool, haven't you? He's the one who is dangerous. He is the one you should look out for, not Tom. Being with squib is one thing but befriending mud-bloods and blood traitors are another. You are getting mad!

Marius stood between Juliet and Bianca and said, "Bianca, this is getting way out of hand. We are your parents and you should not behave this way. I suggest you apologise now."

"I don't need an opinion from a lowly squib," scowled Bianca while glaring at her father.

Juliet bit back the urge to shout at her and said, "I thought I had made this clear. He is your father and you shall treat him with respect. I can't believe that..."

"AND I KEEP TELLING YOU, HE IS NOT MY FATHER!" interrupted Bianca. Bianca trembled in fury as she pointed her finger at Marius. Juliet and Marius just looked at her, unable to speak due to shock. "Do you know how others think of me! How they treat me! BLOOD TRAITOR, FREAK! Because He's a squib! because he cannot do magic. He is not my father. He is just a shame to us, our family, our society," said Bianca spitting out every word with hatred.

SLAP

Juliet, whose hand was shaking violently with anger, said, "How dare you speak about like that! How dare you! I thought I taught you better than that." Juliet fumed, "I will not have this kind of behaviour from my child. Go to your room and don't come back until you are ready to apologise. GO NOW!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW THE OTHERS VIEW ME, OR US? BLOOD TRAITOR! BECAUSE HE'S A DAMN SQUIB! BECAUSE HE CAN'T MAGIC! HE IS NOT A FATHER, HE IS A SHAME. TO US, TO THE..."

Bianca glared at her parents once more before storming up to her bedroom. After she was gone, Juliet fell down and sobbed wondering where did it go all wrong.

7 pm, Marius' room

It had been eight hours since Bianca had been sent upstairs. Bianca stayed in her room and made no attempt to apologise for her actions. Marius was still furious. How could she do that? After all the thing that they had done for her. He could not forgive her for her disrespect. On the other hand, he felt as if it was his fault. He should have stopped her from meeting Tom three years ago. No, he should have seen this coming when she was sorted into Slytherin. He should have known how the others made her feel humiliated for being a squib's child. He should have known the influence her friends would have given her and stopped it. Feeling complex, he decided to at least try and have a conversation with her. Maybe it would help them understand each other. So he took up a tray of food and opened her bedroom. However, the room was empty except a note on the table. Marius stood there dumbfounded until he realised what happened. He quickly went to the table to look at the note which said, "I am not coming back. Don't come looking for me." Marius quickly took the note to tell his wife about this note.


	2. Chapter 1: Serpens

All rights belong to J.K Rowling, Warner Bros, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and BBC.  
Author's Note: Thank you for reading my fanfic. The translation for mudblood 잡종 which actually means half-blood, so I chose a different word for it. 잡종이라는 번역은 뜻을 잘 해석한 것 같지 않아서 흙혈, 흙혈통을 쓰기로 했습니다

's' - Parseltongue

1 pm, 5th April 1987, Abandoned playground, Cokeworth,  
There was no one in the playground except for a young girl sitting on an old swing. The girl on the swing looked extremely miserable. Her black shoulder lengthed greasy hair was covering her face and her black robe seemed too large for her. Her pale skin seemed to indicate she had never seen light before. The girl was not supposed to be there and she would be punished if her father found out she was out of the house. Her father hated muggles but she could not understand why. The last muggles she saw, were very nice. It did not matter. She just had to return before dark and nobody will notice she was missing. That was what she thought until she heard her name being called.

Startled by the noise, she turned around and found Martha Louise Sissons. Martha Sissons was a daughter of Oliver Sissons who was a loyal follower of the girl's father. Her warm smile suited the colour of her blond curly hair. The smile was the only smile that was genuine. "Serpens, it is getting quite late. Your father is already mad you are not in your room. He will be madder if finds out where you are," said Martha. When Serpens looked at her with frightened eyes, Martha smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry. I won't let your father know about this. Come one." Serpens accepted unwillingly and grabbed her arm to apparate away.

2 pm, Voldemort's manor,

Martha hated Voldemort's manor as it sent chills down her spine. It was too dark and sinister for her liking. The house was full of dark magic and artefacts which would make anyone run away from fear. She always wondered how anyone could live in this house. Normal people would have left this house in two days but Voldemort was not someone you called normal. He was the evilest, most foul person anyone could ever meet. Just looking at him was a nightmare to her. She could not imagine how terrible it would before Serpens who had to live here. She wished she could help her but did not know how to help her escape without getting her caught. Martha sighed as she looked around the house before going to the meeting room with Serpens

Voldemort was having a meeting with his followers when he heard the knock. He ordered one of his followers, Selwyn to get the door and continued his speech. Selwyn opened the door and found his cousin and his master's child waiting outside the door.

My lord, your child is here," said Selwyn. Voldemort looked up from his seat to glare at them before ordering Martha to take the child to her nursery. Martha did not hesitate and took the child straight to her nursery.

Serpens' nursery was less vicious but it still gave an unpleasant feeling. The nursery was cold and dark like most of the manor. It did not contain many toys like most nursery and there were too many dark object or books that were too dangerous for a child to read. However, as it was the lightest room in the entire estate, Serpens preferred to stay in that room unless she was with her mother. Ignoring the books on the shelves, Martha took out one of her books and read her until she fell asleep. Martha put the book back in her bag and decided to take a rest when she heard someone at the doors. After calming the startled child, Martha opened the doors to find Selwyn and Voldemort outside.

"Where did you find the child, Martha? asked Voldemort

"She was just outside the house, she wasn't far from the house when I found her," answered Martha.

"I will see that for myself. You may leave," ordered Voldemort. Martha was about to protest but Selwyn dragged her away at once. Once they were gone, Voldemort closed the doors behind him and walked towards Serpens who was cowering in the corner

''What did I tell you about leaving?" asked Voldemort menacingly. em"What did I tell you about going near those mud-bloods? I thought I told you to stay away from them.

"I am sorry, Father but I was not near any muggles, I just wanted to..." pleaded Serpens.

"Silence! Do not lie. I do not like to be deceived. You recall what would happen if you disobey me. Come here immediately," threatened Voldemort.

"Please father. Ppplease me forgive me," Serpens pleaded as she desperately tried to get away from her father."Now!" ordered Voldemort. After Serpens came forwards, he drew his wand out to punish her. As Serpens closed her eyes for the worst, Voldemort pointed the wand at her and lashed out the spell. After casting few spells and cries, he finally stopped.

"I hope this would have served you a lesson," said Voldemort menacingly to Serpens who looked wrenched on the floor. Satisfied with the work, Voldemort left the nursery. Serpens watched the doors close behind her and everything went dark.

12 am, Serpens' nursery/p

Serpens was in her bed when she woke up. The dark sky could clearly tell her it was late at night. Serpens lay awake thinking when she heard the door open. Bianca Black, her mother, walked through the doors swiftly and sat down on the edge of the bed. Bianca looked thinner and paler than when she first ran away from her house. Serpens sat up nervously sat up and crept near her mother. "어머니(Mother)," whispered Serpens.

"무슨 생각을 하고 있었던 거야? 밖에 나가? 아버지가 얼마나 속상해 할줄 몰라 (What were you thinking? Go out? Don't you know how much your father would be upset?)" whispered Bianca.

Serpens glared at her mother and argued, "내가 아빠 걱정을 왜 해야 해? 맨날 우리 괴롭히는고 다른 사람들 함부로 대하는데 (Why should I worry about how he feels? He always torments us and treats everyone like trash.)"

"그것은 네가 아버지 말씀을 안들어서잖아. 항상 이상한 것들이랑 끔칙한 사람들이나 좋아하고…휴, 한심해. (That is because you did not listen to your father. You are always interested in weird things and disgusting people. Whew. Pathetic)," reprimanded Bianca

"안 그래. 아빠가 잘 못 아는거야 (They are not. Father does not know well)" defied Serpens glaring at her own mother only to be slapped by her mother.

"그런 흙혈들 곁에 가려하거나 집을 나가면 죽을 줄 알아! 알아들어! 알아들었냐고! (If you ever go near mudbloods or try to leave this house, you will die. You understand! Do you understand!" screamed Serpens while she was shaking Serpens madly back and forth. As soon as Bianca let go of Serpens, she crawled away from her mother and hugged herself to stop crying.

"내일 무슨 날인지 알지? (You remember what is going to happen tomorrow)," asked Bianca.

"싫어, 난 그런 곳에 안가! (No, I am not going to that kind of place!" said Serpens.

Bianca grabbed Serpens by the collar and yelled, "내일 무조건 따라갈 것이고 절대 집안에 망신 주는 일하면 각오해 알았어. (You are going to the place tomorrow and you will do nothing to embarrass our family. Do you understand)!"

"네 어머니 (Yes mother)," replied Serpens as she tried to get away from her mother. Satisfied with the answer, Bianca walked out of the door, leaving behind a devastated daughter behind.

The next day, 3 am, Meeting

The room was full of death eater's waiting for Voldemort's order. After a while, Voldemort turned to his followers and told them to leave. As soon as Voldemort finished speaking, the death eaters started to disapparate. Serpens was among the death eaters who followed Voldemort to their mission place.

3 am, Auror's living room

As soon as one of the death eaters busted open the door, the rest of them flooded into the house searching for a sign of any living beings. When everyone was to busy to take care of Serpens, she went to hide away from this act. Serpens crept around the house trying hard not get forced into participating. She reached a door which seemed to be closed unnaturally. Before she turned the knob, white beam of lights came out of nowhere and surrounded the death eaters. Serpens dodged and scrambled to avoid getting mixed in the fight. She crawled until she banged into a 6 foot 2 inches tall man. Serpens tried to back away in fear and saw one of the death eaters trying to shot a curse at their direction. The man in front of Serpens stunned him and grabbed hold of Serpens before she fell to the ground.


	3. Chapter 2: Lupin's house

Disclaimer: I do not own any world from Harry Potter or Sherlock(BBC). All rights belong to J.K Rowling, Warner Bros, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and BBC.

5 am, Lupin's living room, 7th April 1987

John Kim, a short jet-black hair auror, in blue robes looked around the mess from the ambush. He looked quite tired but his brown eyes showed determination. They had failed to capture important members but it was not a complete loss. He looked at his superior who was still searching for any dark objects furiously and sighed. The two aurors had a disagreement when Moody argued that Serpens should be woken up for interrogation. John thought Moody had a point but thought now was not the time. John looked again at Moody and decided Moody had done enough. He shouted Moody's name to get his attention.

"Moody, we already checked dozens of time. You caused enough chaos. You might damage the house more than those death eaters. Lyall would be upset," stated John.

"Constant Vigilance, John! There could be a danger anywhere and that definitely will upset Lyall," argued Alastor Moody.

"Yeah, yeah. You are right but Dumbledore called us in," said John Kim who nudged Moody before going into the narrow hallway. John put Serpens into another room before going into Lyall Lupin's room. Moody glanced around the house

When Moody and John Kim entered the room, the room was full of people and was in deep discussion. Moody and John Kim slipped quietly and sat on the other side of Dumbledore. Three of them silently greeted each other before joining the discussion. The meeting went on for hours. When the meeting ended, a flood of aurors left through the doors leaving only Juliet Kim, John Kim, Moody, Lupin couple and Dumbledore. Dumbledore sat back in his chair and read the letter that was delivered at the start of the meeting. Other people did nothing except staring at each other. Moody went right next to Dumbledore and broke the silence by saying, "So what does it say? What does it say about her?" asked Moody.

"What does what say?" asked Dumbledore as he finished reading the letter./p

"You know damn well what I am talking about Albus! I know that letter contains information about her. That child could be a death eater in disguise and you just expect one of us to take care of that child without any information!" demanded Moody. Before Dumbledore could even reply, Moody went and snatched the letter and read it very thoroughly. After he had finished reading it, Moody glared at Dumbledore and he gently talked while he returned the letter, "No! This is unacceptable. Albus, I know what you are thinking but this can be quite dangerous."

"Alastor," said Dumbledore.

"No! After knowing who her father is, it makes me more certain that we should not accept her," argued Moody.

"Are you suggesting we leave her to the claws of death eaters," rebuked Dumbledore

"Her father is Voldemort. Taking her in would mean danger!" shouted Moody.

"Her father doesn't and should not determine who she is. If raised well, she would grow into a better person," said Dumbledore. Dumbledore continued speaking when nobody spoke a word. "If no one disagrees, I think she should be returned to her mother's family."

After a few moments of silence, Juliet Kim spoke, "I disagree, Albus. Who her parents are very important especially if they are Voldemort and his wife. Who knows what kind of ideas they would have tried to put in her head. And you know how much we had suffered. How much we had a hard time due to those people's selfishness and arrogance. We are not going to take in the kid that is a reminder of those time."

"It is true who her parents have a huge impact on her personality but nurture (environment she grows in) is also equally important. I am not saying that she stay with Voldemort will have no effect on her but I believe with the right amount of help, she would be able to overcome it," persuaded Dumbledore./p

"Albus, this is my final word. My husband, my nephew and I are not taking the child in. If you try one more time to persuade us to take her in, I am leaving immediately. Let other person take the child in but not us," said Juliet Kim.

"Like who? She is your bloodline, it is your daughter's fault so shouldn't you take in her," said an auror.

"It was not our decision she left for that tyrant! If so I think Lupins should take in that child since they would be good at handling this kind of situation," replied Juliet Kim.

"What kind of situation?" asked Hope Lupin darkly.

"Handling dangerous people like your son," said Juliet Kim.

The others looked shocked while the Lupins paled. Soon they started arguing with each other. Dumbledore sighed knowing he had expected it.

"Stop it! Aunt Juliet and Potter, that was unaccounted for. Aunt, I understand your points but the Lupins did nothing to deserve your disrespect," said John. When they apologised to each other unwillingly, John continued speaking, "I know why you hate her but I still think she deserves a chance to live with a normal family. I am still not hundred percent confident but I think it is worth giving a try."

The rest of the looked shocked especially Juliet Kim. They went silent until Juliet Kim said, "I thought I had clearly said our family will not take her in. And you are our family. You have seen how much I even hate to look at her."

"We are family but we don't even live together. We only see each other once a week. I am not asking you to take care of her. Also I feel responsible for her," said John.

"You do not need to feel responsible for that brat. Being related does not mean she is our family," said Juliet Kim.

"Juliet, enough. It seems that John has made up his mind. He is aware of what might happen and mature enough to take responsible action. I think it is time for us to go," said Dumbledore.

5 am, Lupin's living room,

When Serpens woke up, she was lying on a couch and there wa a blanket on top of her. She wondered where she was and suddenly wondered what happened. There seemed to be people on the other side of the room but she was not sure who they were. One thing she was sure about was that whoever they were, they would not be kind towards her. She decided she needed to flee before they came for her. She crawled out of the sofa and looked around. She needed to find a way out. The house was extremely large like her father's house. She wondered around the house but there she could not find a way to escape without being caught. At that moment, she heard a footstep coming towards her. She quickly went in the nearest room and waited until the footstep was gone. She breathed a sigh of relife and turned around to find she was not alone. A young boy was standing behind her and staring at her. They both nearly screamed but she managed to stop them beofre anyone could hear it. The boy turned on the light and she was able to see him better. He had a light brown hair, he did seem around her age but looked a bit tired. His blue eyes stared at her curiously. Serpens tried to avoid the boy's curious look.

"Who are you? Are your parents one of those aurors that came to help us?" questioned the boy. "Oh, you must be the girl that the adults were talking about just now. I am Remus, Remus John Lupin and you are?" asked Remus. When Serpens gave no anwser, Remus said, "Oh, alright. You don't want to talk. Its alright I get it. It can be scary, I heard that those people were quite nasty but don't worry, I am not mean. Come on, don't be scared. "

Serpens stared at Remus suspiciously before going near him. However, before Serpens could say another word, the door opened and Moody entered. As soon as Serpens hid below the bed, Moody called the others in and the room was full of people from the meeting

Moody went into Serpens' hiding place and shouted, "I know you are in there! Come out! It is time to go!" When there was no response, Moody shouted, "If you don't come out, I will pull you out with force." Serpens cringed in fear while Remus shouted to Moody to stop scaring Serpens.

"Moody, she's a child, not a criminal. Be gentle with her," said John Kim. He sighed and crept near the bed. "We are not going to hurt you but you got to come out. Come on, we are not going to send you back. We promise," said John Kim gently. While Serpens crawled out of the room, Moody glared at John who smiled sheepishly.

"I think we should go out. We stayed too long and I am sure they need a rest. We should go," said Dumbledore. All of the people agreed and went down to the living room.

Lupin's living room  
When John Kim and Serpens arrived, most of the people were preparing to leave. Dumbledore was talking to Moody, Juliet Kim and Lyall Lupin. Remus was chattering to Serpens.

"How is your wife? Why did she not come today?" asked Hope Lupin as she watched Remus sideway.

"She stayed with Hannah. Hannah was sick today so she decided to stay. How about Remus, is he okay?" answered John Kim.

"Remus is fine. The full moon is a week later, it had been 2 years but full moon always scares me. We are quite lucky because Dumbledore was generous enough to allow our child to go to Hogwarts but we are still worried how he would cope," said Hope Lupin.

"It will be alright. Remus will do well," reassured John Kim. At that moment, Remus Lupin grabbed their attention by tucking Hope Lupin.

"Mom, is she staying with us? I heard she has nowhere to go. Is it alright if we help her?" Remus Lupin pleaded.

John Kim and Hope Lupin looked at each other in confusion before Hope Lupin answered, "It would be nice to take her in but she needs to go back to her family." When both Remus tensed, she reassured, "Not that family, you know uncle John. He is Serpens' uncle and he agreed to take her back in. So she has to go with them but I am sure Uncle John would allow you to visit her." When John Kim gave a nod, Remus grinned widely before starting to talk to Serpens.

"I think it is time for us to go," said John Kim. The Lupins followed them out to the doors with Remus and Serpens behind them.

"Goodbye Professor Dumbledore, Mr Moody and uncle John," said Remus.

"Goodbye to you too, Remus. There are aurors situated near the house so they will alert us if there is a further attack. Have some rest it was tiring night and see you soon. I think we should go, Alastor," said Dumbledore.

"Good night Lupin. Keep alert. They might come back any minute. If there is anything suspicious you must react immediately. Alright, I will go. We will see each other soon," said Moody and with that both Moody and Dumbledore disapparated. Juliet Kim also said her goodbye to all except Serpens and disapparated.

"Thanks for your cooperation. It would be nice if Remus could visit but my child is sick and we are busy at the moment. So maybe we should meet another time, Get some rest, it must have been hard. Take care Remus and don't bother your parents too much, they are very tired right now. Bye," said John Kim.

"Don't worry about us. Just take care of yourself and her. You will do well. We will tell when Remus get well, Goodbye," said Lyall Lupin.

"Bye, uncle John, bye," said Remus Lupin. Serpens just nodded to him before grabbing John's hand to disapparate. The Lupins went back inside after all of them left.


	4. Chapter 3: Punishment and escape

Disclaimer: I do not own any world from Harry Potter or Sherlock(BBC). All rights belong to J.K Rowling, Warner Bros, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and BBC.

Last night, 9 pm, Sissons' manor, Martha's room.

Martha was lucky enough to live in Sissons' manor and was even luckier to be given a room. Martha was able to do magic but not enough for her family's expectation. She was also disliked by her family for her views on muggle which she had kept it hidden since she was young. Martha knew the family kept her due to Bianca and their ambition to become Dark Lord's favourite follower. Still, she did not mind it as long as she would not be bothered and she could keep Serpens safe. However, Martha also knew that Serpens would never be safe if she was in that house and she also knew time was running out. Martha tied the letter to the owl and watched as she flew away. As soon as the owl disappeared, she turned around and found Bianca, who was standing in front of the door with her mouth open. Martha quickly closed the door and cast some protection charms around the room. Martha asked while avoiding Bianca's glare, "Oh, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your child?"

"I came to thank you for bringing her in. I barely got out but who did you sent the letter to?" asked Bianca in a calm but dangerous way.

"It was nothing. I just sent her out so she could have a break," said Martha. Martha desperately wished that her hands would stop shaking.

"Don't lie. I know you sent a letter to one of those blood traitors. You were the insider. I should have known," spat Bianca.

"Better than you who allowed your child to be exposed to those horrendous tortures. I know you have no power to stop him, so I did it for you. Shouldn't you be thankful?" defied Martha as she looked directly into Bianca's eyes.

Bianca slapped Martha and glared at her before saying, "You know your plan will only work if Serpens goes there. Oh, don't look shocked. I know your plan. Don't worry. I will make sure it will work. They should be gone before 4 am, so we should meet at the usual place at that time. Come on time and make sure you are alone." Bianca left as soon as she finished her words.

3.30 am, Back of Sissons' manor,

There was no one in the wide field except Martha. Martha looked around to make sure she was not being followed as she walked to the meeting point. It was not a cold night but she could not stop trembling in fear of being caught. Martha held on to her satchel as if it was her lifeline. The field was quiet except for Martha who moved cautiously. The prospect of getting caught scared her. If she was caught, she knew she would be begging for death. Martha walked into the dark storage that was in the middle of the field. She hated being alone in the storage as it looked as though it would fall at any moment. Bianca entered the storage before Martha got too anxious. Bianca shut the door and started filling Martha's satchel.

"They just left and won't be around for at least an hour. You should leave immediately. These potions and clothes will help you disguise yourself," said Martha.

"Why are you doing this? You never cared about your child. You did nothing to stop her from getting harmed. How do I know this might not be a trap?" Martha asked with worry and suspicion.

"You are right. I am not a good person or mother. I still don't get why you stick up for those mudbloods and blood traitors. Oh, fine muggles and muggle supporters. But still, she is my child. If there is anything I can do to stop that child's death, I am willing to do it. You don't have to trust me but I am the only way out so you got no choice," replied Bianca. After she finished filling the satchel and cast a feather-light spell, she said to Martha, "If you go across straight out, there will be a room where magic can't be detected. You should be able to apparate from there. Leave the country or Europe. Don't come back. Forget her, us and all the things that happened here or you won't be able to survive."

"If the Dark Lord finds out about this, you won't be safe. He will do anything in power to find out where I am even it means having to kill you," said Martha.

Bianca held Martha's hands and said, "I wasn't known for skill in magic but there is one area that I am good at. That is occlumency. I will be able to stop that man from knowing I was the culprit. He will torture me anyway even if I did not help you escape. So just go."

Martha nodded her head and whispered, "Don't die. I will try to send help as soon I can."

Bianca shook her head and snorted then said, "How Hufflepuff of you. I don't need that. Just focus on trying to survive."

Martha tried not to let her tears fall and ran out without looking back. When Martha was out of sight, Bianca face hardened and she quickly slipped back into the house before anybody noticed her absence.

5 am, Voldemort's meeting room

The room was full of tense atmosphere. Voldemort was walking behind the death eaters who were standing still. They had just arrived from a mission which failed miserably. The death eaters did nothing except stare at each other. Many were furious for the failure or worried about the punishment they would face for the failure. Bianca was standing next to Voldemort and was trembling for her life. Bianca cleared her mind as she hoped her occlumency was good enough to make Voldemort believe in her lie.

Voldemort finally spoke in a high chilling voice, "You did not manage to do as I ordered. You know how much I hate failure. Malfoy! Selwyn! Lestrange! Rosier!" He mentioned more death eaters' names who were part of the mission as he cast the cruciatus curse at them. Voldemort continued speaking, "But what infuriates me further is that there was a betrayal among us. Someone who knew our plan had dared to tip the aurors and escape like a coward." The room was soon filled with angry voices or shocked gasps. Voldemort waited for the death eaters to become quiet. Bianca braced for the worst to come as Voldemort opened his mouth. "I was an idiot. She was right under our nose but I was too proud to realise that. However, it matters not because one of us know who that traitor is," said Voldemort. Voldemort cast a cruciatus at Bianca and made Bianca cry out in pain.

"Where is Martha Sissons, dear Bianca?" asked Voldemort ignoring the surprised gasps and disgusted groans. "You were the one who got her to look after Serpens. Answer me, where is she?"

" I I don't know. I … only ..found...out what ….. she is today. She threatened me and overpowered me… I don't. I really don't know where she… I beg you, my Lord,... I beg you. Mercy, mercy, please mercy, my lord," begged Bianca

"I see you are not lying to me. However since you had tremendously failed me, I think it is worth to make you pay, don't you think my friends," said Voldemort. Many murmured a word of agreement or shouted in joy either in fear or because they really enjoyed it. As soon as the room got silent, it was quickly replaced with Bianca's scream.

"I hoped this has served as a lesson. I deeply regret it," said Voldemort. Even when Voldemort had left, no one had dared to help Bianca in fear they might be seen as a traitor. After everybody, left, Bianca slowly stood herself up and limped towards her room wanting nothing but eternal rest.

9 am, 10th April 1987, Polperro, Cornwall, John Kim's townhouse

It was another peaceful day for Kim's family. John Kim family lived in three floored townhouse which was situated in Polperro, Cornwall. The house was not prosperous but it seemed full of life. Emma Kim and John Kim were preparing for breakfast in the kitchen. Emma had her trouble face covered by light brown hair. John seemed better but it did not mean he was not worried. It had been three days since Serpens arrived at the house but she did not speak or associate with other people. Serpens did come down for food but she would retreat to her room, refusing to see other people. Emma sighed wondering what she should do. She just decided to let it go and call the children down to breakfast. Wasn't there a proverb in Korea that said, "Even the sight of Mountain KumKang must wait after a meal." (One's desire of food is stronger)

"Hannah, Joseph, Serpens, breakfast is ready. Come down!" shouted Emma. After a few moments, Hannah (Hwa Yeon) came running down in her pink pyjamas and hugged her mother before going to her father. Hannah had light brown hair like her mother but had a pale peach face like her father. While Hannah was talking to her father, a younger boy named Joseph (Dong Yeon) ran down in yellow pyjamas before right in front of his mother. Emma rushed to calm Joseph down, who was crying before she asked Hannah, "Is Serpens in her room? Can you tell Serpens to come down, Hannah."

Hannah grumbled and answered, "아 싫어 (I don't want to), Ask Jo to do that. I already tried to speak to her a few times but she never responds. She creeps me out." After looking at her father's reaction, Hannah said, "Fine, I will go." Hannah went upstairs to knock on Serpens' door.

"I don't really like her. 무서워 (She is scary)," mumbled Joseph after calming down.

"She is just scared because she is a new place. She just needs time to adjust. You will help her right, right? Jo is a nice boy right?" asked Emma.

At that moment, Hannah came rushing down the stairs frightened. John soon realised something was wrong and followed her upstairs. It was not the first time but it always worried John. John searched the entire house twice and went around the house to search around the neighbourhood. Serpens did seem hard to look for but she was always found hiding in corners or near the neighbourhood. However, after searching for few hours, John realised Serpens did succeed in running away.


	5. Chapter 4: Cokeworth and Healing

Same time, Cokeworth, Spinner's end

There was no one on the hills except Serpens. Serpens did not know why she had escaped or why she was there. All she knew was she wanted to get out of that place. The people that took her in were nice people. They did not abuse her as her parents did. They also helped her escape from her monstrous parents. She was thankful for that but it did not mean that she loved them. They were polite but she could sense they feared her like most people. That made her feel too suffocated and made her want to escape to this familiar place. She had been to this deserted hill. It made her feel peaceful and safe as she could be away from everything. Serpens lied below the tree and enjoyed the cool wind blow over her head. At that moment the voices of two girls awoke her from her daydream and caused her to hide.

"Lily wait for me! Wait! You are going to fast" yelled the older girl at Lily. Lily turned around and gestured at the elder girl. Lily wore a white skirt while the older one wore a green shirt and blue jeans. Both had similar green almond-shaped eyes.

"You were too fast for me to follow. I can't believe you pulled that kind of that joke on me. I am not coming with you if you keep doing that," complained the elder girl.

"Oh Petunia, were you upset that I wanted to leave you behind. You know I would never do that. Don't be too angry," said Lily. Petunia wanted to stay angry for longer but the apologetic look in Lily's eyes made it harder to stay angry.

"Fine, but just don't do that again," said Petunia. She then smiled and started to talk with Lily cheerfully. They were too immersed in their conversation, they did not realise someone was watching them with envy.

Serpens hid and watched with interest at those two as the kept talking with each other. She always wanted a sibling but none of them wanted to be close with her. Even the two children at John Kim's house. Serpens wanted to talk to them. They seemed very nice. However, she knew that they would run away from her if she went closer. Serpens could do nothing as she watched with envy. She sighed depressively when someone banged into her.

"Don't attack me!" said Serpens as she turned around. Serpens found a young boy with a stringy, pallid look and froze. The boy had long oily hair that covered most of his face. Still, his overlarge clothes and round-shouldered angular figure made him recognisable.

"I remember you. You are a witch. I saw you that day and I wanted to talk to you but you left. Don't worry, I am a wizard too," said the boy after few moments of silence.

Serpens backed away and looked around to see if there was anyone could hear them. "I don't know what you are talking about. Please go away," said Serpens. Fortunately, the girls did not notice their talk. Serpens pulled the boy and took them to somewhere more private. She glared at the boy with eyes full of tears and pushed him. "I hate you. We could have been caught. Go away before someone finds us," cried Serpens.

The boy stood up and looked behind Serpens. He frowned asked, "Was there someone there? I didn't see anyone. Does it matter anyway? I am sure they are muggles." Serpens hated how he said 'muggle'. It was not as vile as her father but she could still sense some hate in it.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk to you. Go away. I don't want to get trouble from your father again," said Serpens as she tried to get away from him. The boy realised she was right and was about to leave when someone yelled at them.

"Severus Tobias Snape! You son of a bitch. What are you doing out here?" yelled Tobias Snape. Tobias Snape came stomping towards them in ragged clothes and unshaven face. A smell of alcohol could be felt for a few feets away from them.

"Didn't I tell you what would happen if you went out without my permission freak? Didn't I tell you what would happen if you left during my punishment?" yelled Tobias as he hit Severus mercilessly. Tobias was to busy abusing Severus to notice there was Serpens watching them. Serpens was too terrified to move so she kept repeating the word 'stop'.

"Stop!" yelled Serpens after it became unbearable. Tobias finally realised there was a witness and stomped towards Serpens.

Thud!

Tobias was thrown far away from Serpens and Severus. The two children looked at Tobias in shock, not knowing what to do. Tobias suspected Severus at first but soon realised it was Serpens and was about to attack her. At that moment, a flash of white light appeared and a group of aurors surrounded them. Serpens tried to run away when she recognised who they were but was soon grabbed by John Kim who looked very disappointed. Serpens avoided the aurors' gaze but she knew Moody was also present as his loud voices could be heard along with Tobias' swearing.

"I am very disappointed in you. We will talk about this at home. Can we go first?" asked John Kim.

"Yeah, we have finished. I don't think there is much to know. We will leave when we erase this man's memory," said Lupin as he tried to keep Tobias still.

John Kim nodded and held Serpens as they apparated to their house. The last thing Serpens saw before she left was Severus looking with interest.

Living room of John Kim's home

They apparated in front of the house and John made sure Serpens had not tried to escape again. They were greeted by Emma who looked worried. Howard and Hannah noticed their arrival but decided they should keep quiet.

"Are you alright?" asked Emma.

"I am fine," said John as he hugged Emma. John looked at Serpens with conflicted emotions. John only brought Serpens in due to his sense of duty. However, he could not bring himself to be nice to her as it reminded him of the troubled times. This incident only made him regret the decision more. Still, it was John that took her in. John sighed and said, "Go to my room. We have to talk." John went inside followed by Serpens who was very scared. When Serpens entered the room, John Kim looked back at her with disappointment. John Kim said calmly, "I thought I told you that you were not allowed to leave without permission. Don't you know what could have happened today? You could have injured that man or yourself if we did not come to stop you. Are you listening to me?" John sighed and said, "You do realise this is a serious behaviour and you need to be punished for this, right." John went to his desk to put down his things but Serpens misunderstood this action and cowered in fear.

"Please...Don't... I won't do it again... Please..." pleaded Serpens as she went on her knees.

John said, "Serpens, you are old enough to take responsibilities. Stand up and come over here." Serpens cowered in fear of punishment which reminded Bianca in a bad way. John shouted, "Don't make me say it twice. Come over here." His shouting scared Serpens more and caused her to back away. However, to John, it only looked like Serpens was trying to slither out of her punishment like her parents. John got up to drag her towards her. John only realised how serious it was when Serpens shivered violently and fainted. John grabbed her before she hit the floor and ran out to call for the healers.

The healers and Moody arrived soon. After Moody and John explained the situation, the healers went up to check on Serpens. It took them hours for Serpens to calm down and get checked. Serpens freaked out anytime the healer tried to touch her and she refused to talk to them when spoken to. They had to feed her a calming potion in order to get her checked which also took a very long time. The healers performed some diagnostic spells as they asked some questions. Some of the healers shot furious looks as they did their work. Even Moody who distrusted Serpens looked very furious at the state of her. After completing a full checkup, they gave her a dose of Dreamless Sleep Potions and went out to the living room.

"The child's situation is really serious. Why did you contact us now?" asked a female healer.

"Do you know we can sue you for child abuse," said another male healer who looked at them with a disgusted expression.

"They are not the ones that raised her, if that what you are thinking. She had just been taken in by those bloody bastards a few days ago," said Moody

Emma stopped Moody and said, "We had tried to talk to her. She always refused to talk to us or tried to run away from us. We didn't think it was very serious so we did not want to force her to do anything."

The second healer sighed and said, "She has lots of fractures, bruises and some broken bones. She is undernourished and too underweight for her age. There must have been physical abuse from her former parents. But we also think she might have suffered curses like Cruciatus. The wounds could be healed but the psychological wound is very difficult to heal"

The first healer saw the terror in their eyes and said, "There is still a chance of healing if she is given love and care. It would take a long time and would be hard but it is not impossible. I also recommend that you visit a psychological healer. These are the potions that will heal her." She put one by one as she said, "This is for bone damage, this is for her undernourishment and this would help her anxiety attack. We will come every week to check her progress." Emma thanked them as they left.

"We should have checked it immediately. I should have forced her to go or asked them to come as soon as I brought her in. It's my fault. I did take her in because of obligation but she reminded a lot about her mother and I allowed my anger to neglect her. How could I let my anger and hatred blind me," said John as he sat down on the chair.

"It's not your fault. I am at fault too. At least we know it now," said Emma as she sat down next to him. "Oh, those evil bastards. I thought at least Bianca would have the sense to protect her child. How could they do this to her? I thought she was just cautious or rude like her mother. What do we do?"

John hugged her and said, "Don't worry. We will try our best. We will make sure that she does not end up like her parents. We will also make sure she is loved and taken care. It's not too late now."

Emma wiped her tears and said, "Yes we can but I don't think we can do much alone. We already have two children to take care of."

John smiled and said, "I know some people that might be a great help to us."


	6. Chapter 5: Grandmother

8 pm, 15th April, John's study,

"You want me to become what? No way John, you better look for someone else. There is no way I am going become a godfather to that little snake," said Moody. Moody still had doubts whether accepting her into this family and letting her go to Hogwarts was even a good option. So it was so shocking when John suggested Moody to become Serpens' mentor and godfather. For what? To teach her self-defence? What if she used to attach John's family? He couldn't believe how naive John could be.

"She is just a little girl and she has a name," said John Kim.

"Look I can't stop you from adopting her but I am not going to be her godfather. Not when I know who her father is, This could be dangerous," said Moody.

"I know who her father is and I am not naive. Still, we should not judge her by who her father is. You should know that houses and family do not determine who that person is," said John.

Moody growled and asked, "Fine but why me? I am sure there are other people who can do a better job than me. You know how strict I am and I won't be soft on her just because of her background."

"That is why we need you. While she needs someone to cuddle her, she also needs someone to give her realistic help and training. You are auror and I believe you would not mollycoddle her just because she had a tough time but I also know that you wouldn't be harsh if she does well. We really need your help. Give her a chance. She might be a lot different from what you think of her," said John. When Moody scoffed, John said, "At least meet her for few times if you are not sure about it."

Moody contemplated and said, "Ok, I will give this thing a try but if it seems pointless, you will need to look for someone else."

John held his hands and said, "Thank you so much. I don't know how to thank you for this."

Moody scoffed and said, "I still think this is pointless but I will give it a try. Next Monday is good for me."

John looked at the calendar and said, "That should be fine for me. See you next week," John walked Moody out as he talked with him.

Moody looked behind and said, "Alright, see you next week." He disappeared as soon as he stepped out of the door. John closed the door and looked at Serpens was sleeping. John taught about whether he should wake her up but decided he will just let her rest. It was a really tiring day and anything could wait for the next day.

The next day 9 am, Serpens' temporary room,

Serpens woke up at the sound of John and Emma entering her room. Emma sat down next to Serpens while John sat opposite to where she sat. When Serpens seemed calm enough, John said, "I owe you an apology. I should not have let my feeling of your parents affect how I treat you. I should not have neglected you or abuse you in any way. I am truly sorry."

"I ... I don't understand. Why are you apologizing? I did deserve that... I disobeyed you so," asked Serpens.

John and Emma looked at each other before John said, "No you did not deserve it. No one deserves that."

"B...But that was normal for me... I mean my parents did that to me every day... If it is wrong.. Why did no one try to stop it?" Serpens looked like she was about to burst into tears as she asked those questions.

John explained as Emma hugged Serpens, "No it's not normal. They had no right to do that. They were your parents and that means that they have a responsibility to protect you, not abuse you.

Emma continued, "We are sorry it took us so long to help you and stop them from harming you. We should have known it earlier. But we won't let it happen again. You don't have to go back to them. You are our family."

Serpens asked, "I.. I am your family. So can I stay here? Does it also mean I don't have to go back to them?"

Emma smiled reassuringly and said, "No, you don't have to go back to them and yes, you can stay here. Always. Serpens smiled widely after hearing that.

John said, "We won't be using any physical punishment. We would punish you when you put yourself in harm or deliberately harm others. We won't be using the punishment your parents used even in those cases. You would be mostly doing what other children do like doing chores, not being able to be part of a favourite time and such."

"Yes sir," said Serpens looking surprised.

"And one last thing," said John while smiling, "Since you are our family, Serpens, just call use uncle John and Aunt Emma. We are your family not your superior."

Serpens smiled than frowned as she said, "Don't call me that."

"Call you what dear?" asked Emma.

"Serpens, I hate it. I always hated it," said Serpens.

John thought for a while then decided to do it when he saw her determination. He said, "Alright, we will think of a name to give you. Serpens does sound scary. Well, I think we should go down for breakfast." John stopped for a while and said, "I know it would be hard for you to get along with others and it would take time but I want you to give it a try. You can do it right. That's good. Let's go down."

Living room,

Hannah and Howard greeted their father with excitement until they saw Serpens. They stood still awkwardly not knowing how to talk to each other. They were just about to eat when Juliet Kim knocked on the door. John was surprised at first but soon realised what she came for. John turned around to his family and told they will have a private conversation before going to his study.

John's study,

As soon as they got in, John locked the door and cast a spell so no one could overhear it. John sighed as he looked at furious Juliet. She did not try to hide her dislike towards Serpens since she had entered the house. After Juliet sat down, John said, "절 보러 여기에 오신 이유가 서펀스 때문이지요? (Did you come here to see me because of Serpens?)"

"너 그 아이 여기 있게 하고 대부를 찾고 있다는 것을 들었다. 사실이냐? (I heard you were going to make her stay and you also looked for a godfather. Is it true?)" said Juliet as she ignored his question and walked around the room.

"네, 사실이에요, 고모. 고모가 서펀스의 아버지를 싫어하고 서펀스를 원망하는 것을 알아요. 그래도 서펀스는 그 아이의 부모도 아니고 그 사건들이 그녀의 잘못도 아니에요. (Yes it's true, aunt. Aunt, I know you hate Serpens' father and you blame her for what happened. But she is not her parents and it's not her fault for what has happened)," said John.

Juliet glared at John as she spat the words with venom, "직접적으로 책임은 없겠지만 비앙카가 떠난 이유가 그 아이 때문이니 책임에서 완전 자유롭지는 않아. (She may not be directly responsible for this but since she is the reason why Bianca left, it means she is partly responsible for it)."

"고모, 우리 둘 다 그것이 사실이 아니라는 것을 알잖아요. 이미 그 전부터 누나는 이미 가망이 없다는 것을 알고 있었잖아요. (We both know that that's not true. We already knew she was a lost cause)," said John. "고개 젓지 마세요. 아이를 갖지 않더라도 그 길로 갈 것이라는 것을 알고 있었잖아요. 아이는 도망가기 위한 핑계였고 어차피 우리를 버렸을 것이에요. (Don't shake your head. We knew she was going to go down that path even if she did not have her child. The child was just an excuse so she could run away and she was eventually going to abandon us anyway.)

Juliet spat, "비앙카에게 뒤집어 씌우지마. 비앙카가 그렇게 된 것은 그 괴물 때문이야. 그놈이 그녀를 이용하고 우리를 갈라놓았어. 그 아이가 우리 가족의 불행의 직접적인 원인이 아니더라도 불행이 낳은 결과이야. 그 아이를 보면서 그 시절을 기억하고 싶지는 않아. (Don't blame it on Bianca. That monster used her and split us apart. If it wasn't for him, there would have been no trouble. She may not be the cause of our misfortune but she is the result of it. I don't want to be reminded of those time by looking at her.)"

John sighed and said, "고모도 많이 힘드시고 받아들이는데 시간이 필요한 것 알아요. 그래도 고모도 노력해주셨으면 좋겠어요. 그 아이를 좋아하라고 부탁은 안 할게요. 그냥 최소한 괴롭히지만 말아주세요. (I know it is hard for you, aunt and that it will take you some time to accept her. I won't ask you to love her but just try not to be cruel to her.)"

Juliet sighed and said, "알았어. 노력은 해볼게. 그런데 그 아이 이름 그냥 놔둘거니? (Alright. I will try. By the way, are you going to keep her name?)" Juliet asked the last question as if she considered it to be a terrible idea.

"아니요, 바꾸려고. 혹 좋은 생각 있으세요? (No, we are going to change it. Do you have any idea?)" John asked in hope that it might lessen her hate towards Serpens.

Juliet smiled for the first time and said, "잘했어. 끔찍한 이름이야. 어떤 이름이든 상관 없는데 "메롭 리들" 넣어주었으면 좋겠다. 친할머니 이름이야. (Good. It's a terrible name. I don't mind what name you give her but I want "Merope Riddle" in it. It's her paternal grandmother's name)."

"Aunt!" John shouted.

Juliet held up her and said, "별 뜻 없어. 그냥... 그 아이 엄마가 좋아했을 이름이야.(No hard feeling... Just her mother would have liked it.)"

John sighed and said, "생각해볼게요. 그래도 애가 싫으면 넣지 않을 것이에요.(I will think about it. Still, I won't put it in if she does not like it.)"

"알았어. 그만 가자. 다른 사람들 기다리고 있을거야. (Alright. Let's just go. Others might be waiting)," said Juliet. Juliet sighed and went out first, followed by John.

Living room,

The family had finished eating and were sitting in the living room. The three children were still not speaking with each other. Hannah and Howard rushed towards Juliet when they noticed her. Juliet asked, "우리 예쁜 강아지들, 어떻게 지냈어? My cute puppies, how have been?)"

"잘지냈어요. 할머니는요? (We were doing fine. How about you, grandma?)" asked Hannah.

"할머니도 잘 지내지. (Grandma is doing fine too). You are listening well to your parents aren't you?" asked Juliet. Both nodded and Juliet smiled. Juliet did not pay any attention to Serpens who was looking at them with a longing expression.

"네 할머니 (Yes Grandma)," said Hannah. Then she noticed Serpens looking at them and said, "Halmoni, this is Serpens. She is our cousin and is going to live with us."

Juliet tried to hide her distaste and said, "좋겠네. 할머니는 바빠서 그만 가봐야 할 것 같아. 다음에 보자, (That must be nice. I must go now because I am busy. See you next time.)" She then turned to John and said, "봐서 좋았다. 그만 간다. (It was nice to see you, I must go now.) Then she left without a word to Serpens.


	7. Chapter 6: New Name, New Start

The room was full of silence after Juliet had left the house. The adults were busy doing their things while the children were playing with each other, well except Serpens. Serpens stood awkwardly looking back and forth at her cousins and at the adults, not knowing what to do. Hannah could not contain her curiosity and went to John to ask about Serpens. Hannah crept up to John and asked quietly, "Dad, does grandma hate Serpens? She seemed very cold towards her. Does it have anything to with what you were talking about with mom?"

John sighed and said, "How did you? Never mind. It's complicated. It will take time for her to accept her. She will come around."

Hannah thought for a while and said, "Then is she staying with us? Oh if she is, why did she try to run away last time? Is it ok to ask her that?"

John thought for a while and said, "I am not sure if that is wise to ask. I think she will tell us when she feels comfortable with it. Also, I am sure she knows it was wrong of her to do it. She won't if we are nice to her. You will try to be nice to her, right?"

Hannah thought for a while and nodded. She said, "I don't think it will be easy but I will try."

John smiled and said, "That good. Now let's go and see what the others are doing. They might start to think we are plotting something." Hannah followed him out after managing to stop her giggling.

When they went out to the living room, John was looking defiantly at Serpens while holding a book behind at Serpens. John sighed and asked, "Can you tell me what is happening here?"

"She took my book without asking me. That my book. I don't want her to have it. She might destroy it," said Howard.

John looked sharply at Howard and reprimanded, "Howard. You should not speak to her like that. And Serpens, you should not have taken the book without asking. Come on, let say sorry to each other."

The two children hesitated for a while and apologised to each other. Serpens glanced at John and asked when John gave a positive look, "May I read the book for a while?"

Howard held the book for a while before giving the book to Serpens. Serpens smiled and thanked him as she received the book. Serpens was going to the corner when Hannah called her.

"Why are you going over there? You can just read here," said Hannah.

Serpens hesitated and said, " I thought you wouldn't want me hanging with you. I wouldn't want me either. I am a freak."

There was an awkward silence before Hannah spoke, "I don't think you are freak. Yeah, you can be rude sometimes. But I think everyone is like that sometimes. Come on. It will be nice if we could get along with each other."

Serpens hesitated for a while before walking over to the children and sitting next to them. The children were looking at the book and reading it when Serpens paused the book for a while. Serpens hesitated for a while before looking at the two adults. Serpens asked, "When can I change my name? Can I change it immediately? I don't want others calling me Serpens."

John soon realised what Serpens was referring to and said, "Oh, I forgot about that. Well, don't I am sure we will be able to think of a name soon." John had mentioned few names but Serpens seemed to dislike all of them. John thought hard for a short time and said, "Well, then let's try another one. How about Sarah?" When Serpens showed a smile, John smiled back and said, "Alright. We will call you Sarah from now on then."

Hannah hesitated for a while before asking, "Since we finished that, can we go out to play in the garden? I want to show her around the garden. Please?"

"Alright but come in before lunch," said John. The children replied yes and rushed out to the garden. As John watched them rush out, he thought about the first time he had met Bianca.

Juliet Kim was John's aunt from his mother's side. Juliet followed her father to Britain after their parents separated. Juliet and John's mother kept in touch with each other through letters but they did not meet each other in person. So John's first encounter with Juliet's family was when John moved to England. Juliet was really nice to John, allowing him to stay at her house until he was able to get a house. Juliet was good as a person but her relationship with Bianca did not work out well. Juliet had failed to notice Bianca's pressure from her housemates and when she did notice it, she did not do a great job handling it. Things got worse when Bianca was married to a muggle named Kevin Mayer. Mayer was a terrible man. John still wondered how Juliet even introduced him to Bianca and let her get married to him. The marriage was a final stroke to their relationship. Though Bianca managed to get divorced, Bianca blamed her misfortune on Juliet and even hated muggles for it. Tom approached Bianca when her hatred for the muggles and her mother was heightened. This made her easier to manipulate.

John looked at Sarah after he finished thinking about Bianca. She was really different from what he had first imagined. She was kind and sweet as any child should be. He could not imagine why anyone would harm this child. John vowed to himself that he would give Sarah the childhood that she could not have and she would not end up like her parents.

Four years later, 1st September 1991, Kim's living room

Moody had just arrived on time to accompany Kim's family to the King's Cross station. Moody still had no idea why he agreed to become Serpens' godfather but here he was now. Moody had not expected that he would take a liking to Serpens but the more he met her, the more he felt John was right. Serpens had some similarity with her mother but she was more compassionate and bright than her parents. Moody decided to stop thinking and knock on the door. Moody was greeted by Hannah who was smiling.

Hannah greeted brightly, "Morning, Uncle Moody. How was your day?"

Moody grunted and said, "Morning Hannah. It was just the same day as any other day. How about you? It's your second year, isn't it? How do you feel about going back to school?"

Hannah replied, "I am looking forward to going back to school. I can't wait to meet friends and teachers."

Moody said, "Oh yes. How about you Serpens? It's your first year, right?" Moody asked Serpens who was peeking behind Hannah. Serpens was a skilled person but she lacked confidence and he blamed those bastards who are their parents.

"I am fine. I am … looking forward to school too," whimpered Serpens.

"Speak louder! I thought I remember telling you to speak louder!" said Moody.

Serpens squinted but she was adjusted to Moody's stern behaviour. "Yes. I am looking forward to going to school," said Serpens a bit louder.

Moody shook his head and asked Hannah, "Where is your father? We are running out of time."

"I am sorry. Howard was too deep in sleep, we almost left him behind. But he is sorry, aren't you Howard?" said John half apologetically and half-jokingly. "You don't really need to come along. I am sure nothing will happen there. It's just King's Cross," said John.

Moody stamped his stick loudly enough stop the girls giggling and yelled, "Constant vigilance! Who knows what might be lurking there. And I have other business to attend to so you don't need to feel sorry about it."

"Alright," John sighed. "Come on. We should go then." The children nodded and followed him out to the car to drive to King's Cross.

The Platform Nine and Three-Quarters,

John's family had arrived on time and were busy doing their own things. Moody was very fidgety as though he was expecting an attack anytime soon. Hannah was explaining excitedly about Hogwarts to Sarah and Howard. Sarah listened with interest until she remembered about the sorting. Sarah looked down in worry. None of Hannah's words came into her mind as she was busy worrying about what house she might be sorted. Suddenly, Moody tapped on her shoulder and gestured her to come towards him.

Moody looked at Sarah for a while and asked, "You are worried about the sorting, right?"

Sarah hesitated for a while then nodded. "I don't .. I … What if I am in Slytherin?" asked Sarah nervously.

"Just because you are in Slytherin does not make you bad. It's your choices that show who you are not your house," said Moody. "And not all Slytherins are bad!" Moody hesitated for a while before he said, "I was in Slytherin too."

Sarah's eyes widened but said nothing when she saw Moody motioned her to be quiet.

"I am pretty sure that you would not become like your parents even if you do become Slytherin," said Moody. "Come on, it's getting late. Go along. I will try to owl you or even visit if I can."

Sarah looked pleasantly surprised but decided to rush toward where Hannah before he changed his mind.

"Hey! Remus. Sorry I was talking with uncle Moody. How are you? Are you excited for school?" asked Sarah.

Remus noticed Sarah and replied, "Well, I am excited but I am also a bit scared. You know, because of my issue." Remus added the last part quietly so that only Hannah and Sarah could hear it.

Hannah said, "It's fine. I am sure everything would turn fine. Even if it doesn't, you still have us."

Remus smiled slightly at Hannah's words. Remus said, "We really should get on the bus. I think it would leave soon."

When Hannah and Sarah were saying goodbye, Howard pouted, "I really want to go. Can't you take me with you?"

"Oh, but it's just one year. Soon you will be able to go too," said Emily.

"But I want to go now. Who do I play with both of you gone?" said Howard.

"Oh, I am sure it will be alright. We will send you mail as often as we could. Time will fly past much quicker than you think," Remus reassured Howard. Howard was still unsure about his words but he nodded anyway.

"Its time to go," said Uncle John.

Sarah had said goodbye to most people and it was time to say bye to Uncle John. Sarah went and held her uncle's hand and asked, "Uncle John, do you think I will be able to adjust?"

"Of course. Were you worried that you might not be able to adjust?" asked Uncle John.

Sarah nodded and said, "Well, you know. My family and other stuff." Sarah hesitated for a while and added, "What if I end up in Slytherin? Will you be disappointed?"

"No, we won't. You will still be our family no matter what your house is. And I am sure you will do well in your school. Owl me or talk to your sister if you have any problem," said Uncle John. "Go on. Hannah and Remus are waiting for you."

Sarah smiled and waved at Uncle John before running off to her friends.

"Don't worry. It will be ok," said Aunt Emily.

"I know," said Uncle John. John, Emily, Howard and Moody stayed there until the train was out of sight before they left the train station.


	8. First Day at Hogwarts

Sarah followed Hannah and Remus into an empty compartment. About ten minutes later, two girls and one boy had entered the compartment. Sarah recognised them. She had seen them from Cokeworth. She had only spoken to the boy but she knew who the girls were. They were Lily, Petunia and Severus. Severus also realised this and froze on the spot. Sarah was considering how she should act when Lily asked, "Sorry. There was no other empty place. Do you mind if we go in?"

"No, it's alright. Come in," said Hannah.

Lily and Petunia immediately sat opposite them. Severus hesitated for a while before he sat next to Lily.

"So, I am Hannah and this is my cousin, Sarah and that is our friend Remus. I think I remember seeing you last year. Wasn't your name something like Petunia? Is that your sister." said Hannah brightly.

"Yeah. I am Petunia and that is my sister," replied Petunia.

"Hi, I am Lily. Oh and that is Severus. He is a bit shy," said Lily when Severus remained quiet. "So how old are you? Are you same year as my sister or are you older?"

"I am in Year 2. Sarah and Remus are first years. You must be looking forward to going to school," said Hannah.

"That must be nice. We are from muggle family so we don't know much about Hogwarts except what Severus told us. Personally, I am worried if I might not do well," said Lily.

"Don't worry. It will be alright. Many people are from muggle family but they adjust well. Don't worry, you will do well," reassured Remus.

"By the way, what house are you in? My sister is in Ravenclaw," said Lily, ignoring Petunia saying that she could speak for herself.

"I am in Hufflepuff. What house do you want to go in?" asked Hannah.

"I don't know. It would be nice if I could be in the same house with my sister and friends. Even if I am not, I want to stay friends with them," said Lily.

"I would like to be in Gryffindor. My father was in it," said Remus. When Severus' face turned sour, Remus asked what was wrong with him.

"Don't mind him. Actually, we met very rude boys who wanted to be in Gryffindor. They made fun of Severus for the house he wanted to be in, " said Lily in distaste.

"That must be bad. I can assure you that Remus is not like that," said Hannah. "So what about you? What house do you want to be in?"

"Slytherin," said Severus. Severus stared at them as though he was challenging them to make fun of him.

"You don't think Slytherin is bad?" asked Sarah. Sarah opened her mouth time after the trio came.

"Only closed-minded people think like that. Well, there are many people from Slytherin turned out bad but that doesn't mean all of them are bad," said Severus.

Sarah relaxed slightly at his words. Sarah and Severus stopped talking. After failing to get them involved, Hannah and Lily started the conversation without those two. Even the conversation did not last long. When Sarah woke up from her nap, she noticed most of them were asleep. Sarah glanced at Severus who was also awake and wondered whether she should speak to him. Sarah did not want to acknowledge Severus in fear someone would find out about her past. Still, Sarah wanted to ask many things to Severus like how Severus got close to Lily and so on. Sarah noticed Severus didn't want to talk either so she just looked out the window. She watched as they passed through the fields, the woods and hill.

After a long journey, they arrived at Hogwart. After parting with Hannah and Petunia, the rest of them followed the first years to the boat. Sarah followed Lily, Remus and Severus from the boat to the Great Hall. The river, the castle, the ceiling made her realise that they were really in Hogwarts. Sarah would have never expected she could come to Hogwarts but here she was now. Tears fell. She could not believe her luck. Tonight was her best night well until she was sorted. Sarah was not surprised Remus going to Gryffindor. She noticed Severus' disappointment when Lily went to Gryffindor. They must have been really close, thought Sarah. Sarah's dreaded moment came when her name was called out.

"Riddle, Sarah Merope"

Sarah hated her name. She hated how her grandparents insisted to keep the middle and last name. She never got along with them. Though they never explicitly showed their hatred, Sarah could sense they blamed her. Most people did not react to the name but some seemed to realise what the last name meant. Sarah suppressed her fear and sat on the chair.

"Hmm, great talent, the need to prove yourself, where to put you," whispered the hat.

"I am still not sure," said Sarah.

"Why, cause who your father is?" asked the hat. "You still could be a better person though. Slytherin could provide the answer to your problem though. It will definitely lead you to greatness. Still no?"

When there was no answer the hat said, "Well then, SLYTHERIN."

Sarah walked over to the Slytherin table and watched the rest of the sorting. Severus came to Slytherin table as she expected but neither spoke to each other. Sarah was able to enjoy her dinner in peace until one of the senior boys talked to her.

"You. You must be that child. The one that everybody was talking about," said a dark-haired boy. He glared at Sarah suspiciously as he asked that. Sarah looked up to see there were many students who were looking at her.

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah.

"Oh, don't play dumb," whispered the boy. "The hidden child. Mistress Kim's worst nightmare. So are you the one."

Sarah heard about that name, "Hidden Child." She was called that because her grandmother refused to tell any detail about her. She just didn't expect that many people would know about it.

"So what is the truth? Some say you are squib but you can't be since you are here. Some say you are the child of the Dark Lord or his follower. What is it?" asked another boy. That boy had long blond hair and seemed younger than the first boy.

"Leave her alone, Clearly she doesn't want to talk about it," said a girl from the opposite side.

"Shut up. No one asked for your opinion," said the first boy. He turned to Sarah and said, "Go on, answer."

"Lucius, Rabstan. You are scaring the girl," said a blonde-haired girl as she sat next to Sarah. "Hi, I am Narcissa. Don't worry, they are not trying to harm you. They just want to ask some questions. You wouldn't want weird rumours spreading about you, don't you? So what is the truth?" When there was no reply, Narcissa said, "Oh, poor girl. Your mudblood family must have scared you, haven't they? Did they threaten you?"

"Don't call them mudblood!" said Sarah.

"They really must have scared her or maybe she turned out to be a blood traitor like them," said Lucius.

"Oh, don't be like that. They just want to be your friends. We need to know the truth if you want help," said Narcissa.

"I don't need help. And I don't want to be friends with people who insult my family. I am sure they are way nicer than the people who treat muggle like trash," said Sarah defiantly.

Rabstan looked at Sarah dangerously and came closer to Sarah. "I would be careful about what you say if I were you. You would not want to make an enemy on the first day, don't you? So are you sure about what you said?" threatened Rabstan.

"I am pretty sure I would stay friendless than become friends with brainless death eaters wannabes. I met your lot so I know what you are like," said Sarah.

Things turned sour when it was clear to them Sarah was not like them. Rabstan stared dangerously at Sarah while Narcissa looked nervously, unsure of what to do. Rabstan stood up was about to hit Sarah when someone came up and stood between them. "Go away, Andromeda. This isn't your place," said Lucius. Sarah noticed it was the girl who told the boys to leave her alone.

"Well, it is. I am the Head Girl and I can inform the Head of House that you are harassing a first year unless you all go back to your seats now," said Andromeda.

Lucius and Rabstan hesitated for a while before they went to other seats. Narcissa sent them an apologetic look before she followed them. Andromeda sighed, "I am sorry for what they did. Are you alright?"

"Thanks. I am fine," said Sarah.

"Alright. I am Head girl Andromeda Black, I am over there if you need help," said Andromeda. She went back to her seat after making sure things were fine.

When everyone was gone, Sarah went back to her dinner. Fortunately, nobody tried to harass Sarah but no one tried to help her either. After the headmaster's weird speech, the exhausting dinner ended. Sarah tried to pretend everything was fine even when Hannah came up to check on her. The story about what happened at the Hall spread fast among the Slytherins. Though no one harassed her, Sarah could feel the stares and whispers behind her back. Sarah tried to talk to Severus but she only got a cold look.

"Why didn't you tell me… Never mind. Don't talk to me. I don't want to be a target here too," said Severus.

Narcissa mouthed sorry before heading off with her friends. Seeing that made Sarah relaxed for a while until she noticed Rabstan glaring at her. Sarah rushed to her bed before he could come to her. Sarah let out her tears once she was alone. Sarah knew school would be difficult but it was still hard for her to bear. She just hoped things would get better and not worse.


End file.
